Hockey World Cup Highlights: Australia Thrash Miserable India 4-0

Unbeaten Australia finish on top of group A. India, with just four points, can finish seventh at best. India finished last in the 2012 London Olympics. Catch all the highlights here.

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Unbeaten Australia finish on top of group A. India, with just four points, can finish seventh at best. India finished last in the 2012 London Olympics.

Unbeaten Australia finish on top of group A. India, with just four points, can finish seventh at best. India finished last in the 2012 London Olympics. Catch all the highlights here.

18:21 IST: Goalkeeper Sreejesh has been India's Man of the Match. He saved at least three certain goals. "It's been a good tournament for me," he says. But goalkeepers don't win matches and India found that once again against a solid Australian side. The only concern for the Aussies will be injuries to skipper Knowles and Dwyer. Both have been pillars for their team in this World Cup. Dwyer has scored two goals in the current competition.

18:12 IST: Australia win 4-0 with all goals coming in the first half. The world champions finish their pool unbeaten. They will play the semifinals on Friday. India, remain on four points with a win, a draw and three defeats. The best India can finish is seventh.

18:05 IST: SV Sunil takes a solid strike at the Aussie goal with three minutes left for the hooter. It came off a sizzling counterattack. But the ball goes straight to the Aussie goalie.

18:00 IST: Sreejesh denies Ciriello his hattrick goal. Australia squander another penalty corner in the second half. The match has clearly been Australia vs Sreejesh. A win for Australia means the world champions will top their pool. Eight minutes to go. It's still 4-0 for the Aussies.

17:58 IST: With 11 minutes left on the clock, Dharamir has the first real crack at the Australian goal. But the ball is palmed away to safety by the Aussie goalie. On the counter, Australians win another short corner.

17:49 IST: Sreejesh standing like a rock. He saves one on the goalline and then denies Australia a fifth goal. The world champions have missed both their short corners after the breather.

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17:46 IST: Mandeep Singh makes India's first positive move in the 11th minute of the second half. But the goal stays elusive. Twenty minutes to play. Australia lead 4-0.

17:44 IST: Sreejesh saves a certain goal in the 10th minute of second half. A brilliant one-two down the right between Whetton and Turner opens up the Indian defence but Sreejesh comes up with a timely save to stop a slapshot.

17:39 IST: Australia miss their first penalty corner of the match in the 8th minute of second half. A rare poor trapping. Australia lead 4-0 with all goals coming in the first half. Earlier in the 3rd minute, India had a penalty corner overturned by the video umpire.

17:32 IST: India make a rare entry into the Australia DEE in the fourth minute after half-time. Manpreet Singh wove in from the left but lost possession. The pace of this half has been considerably slower than when the match started.

17:26 IST: Happy for the scoreline, but never satisfied till the final whistle. We are always looking to score, says Charlesworth, the Aussie coach. Second half set to start.

17:17 IST: India make a late surge but the Australians do well to ward off any threat. The Aussies have been good on counterattacks and exploited the gaps in the Indian defence. It's half-time and India have to find a way to make an impression. The 4-0 scoreline is an appropriate reflection of the Aussie domination so far.

17:12 IST: Three minutes to go and Australia hold on to their 4-0 lead. The Indians have hardly troubled the Aussie goalie.

17:08 IST: The match has been stopped due to an injury to Australian captain Mark Knowles. He bumped into SV Sunil. He is being stretchered off. Looks like a neck injury. Terrible sight. A much-needed breather for the Indians. Seven minutes left for half-time. Aussies lead 4-0

16:58 IST: Australia have more than 80 per cent possession. India look totally out of rhythm. Hundred per cent short corner conversion by the Australians so far. Indians haven't earned a single penalty corner. The scoreline could have been worse for India had Sreejesh not made some excellent saves. 27 minutes gone, Australia lead 4-0.

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16:54 IST: India down 4-nil in the 22nd minute. Australia convert both goals from penalty corners. Jeremy Hayward makes it 3-0 while Ciriello gets his second of the match. The floodgates are opening.

16:49 IST: India down 2-0 in the 16th minute. The Australians convert their first penalty corner. A classic push-trap-and finish. Chris Ciriello's dragflick down the middle found its target. This has been an Aussie show so far.

16:43 IST: Great control by the Aussies. Typically, they are using the whole pitch to find openings in the Indian defence. The legendary Jamie Dwyer is the playmaker in the Aussie side.

16:36 IST: India concede a third minute goal. A brilliant move down the right by Zalewski and Whtetton sets up Kieran Govers who makes no mistake with a clinical finish. The Indian defence was outnumbered and had no clue what hit them.

16:33 IST: Early scare for India. Australia attack in the very first minute and Sreejesh is under pressure.

16:32 IST: The Australian players are wearing white today. India have been wearing yellow in this tournament. Both teams have one thing in common -- Aussie coaches. India have Terry Walsh. Australia have the indomitable Ric Charlesworth, who has trained India before Michael Nobbs.

16:31 IST: It's all set for India vs Australia at Kyocera Stadium. This will be a big test for India's defence. Quite a few Aussie players have turned out in the Hockey India League. But this will be a different game. Australia have scored 15 goals in 4 matches. India have scored 7 but conceded 8.

Bring on Australia!

The Indian hockey team is geared up to take on defending champions and current World Cup Group A toppers Australia at the Kyocera Stadium on Monday.

With India registering their first win of the tournament against Malaysia Saturday, they will now be looking forward to putting up an impressive show against the World No.1 and two-time champions in their fifth and last pool match.

"The team is all set to take on Australia. Our match against Malaysia will act as a motivation as we are all looking forward to play the defending champions. There is positivity in the dressing room which will act in our favour," captain Sardar Singh said. (Read more)

Australia storm into semis

Defending champions Australia became the first team to ensure passage into the semifinals of the hockey World Cup with a 5-0 hammering of England, giving them a maximum 12 points from four matches in Group A.

England, with seven points from four outings, are still in contention for the semifinals, but must win their last league fixture against Belgium, who are on nine points after a 5-2 victory over Spain.

India are in the fourth position with four points, followed by Spain on two and Malaysia on zero. Australia had five different players scoring a goal each against England.(Read more)

Need to be clinical, says Terry Walsh

"The difference between India and the top teams in international hockey today is that the Indians do not know how to put away a team," Walsh said after his side's 3-2 victory over Malaysia in the World Cup on Saturday.

India dominated the match, but wasted several scoring chances in the first half, when they led 1-0.

Later, leading 3-1, they allowed Malaysia to reduce the deficit and thereafter have many shots at the Indian goal, which Walsh said should not have happened. (Read More)

Resurgent India vs Free-scoring Australia

Buoyed by their triumph over Malaysia, India will face their toughest challenge so far when they take on unbeaten reigning champions Australia in their final preliminary game of the Hockey World Cup on Monday.

The Indians bounced back well to beat Malaysia 3-2 after losing back-to-back matches to start with and Sardar Singh's men would draw from the new-found self-belief when they come face-to-face against the marauding Australians.

"The team is all set to take on Australia. Our last match against Malaysia will act as a motivation as we are all looking forward to play the defending champions. There is positivity in the dressing room which will act in our favour on the field," an upbeat Indian captain Sardar said ahead of the tough match.

India currently have four points from as many matches after drawing the game against Spain. Australia have already made the semi-finals with four thumping wins, while India are in the fourth place in Group A. (Read more)